PIZZAS MADE with authentic Italian ingredients, cooked in a wood-fired oven, delivered to your door – with an interesting salad on the side. Can it be true? Shane Crilly and Aengus Lacey (above) are former Clongowes Wood College students who have diverted from careers in law and business to open Base Wood Fired Pizza in Terenure.
Their careful renovation of a lovely old retail premises on Terenure Road East gave the first indications that they were a quality operation, and in the seven months they have been in business they’ve built up great take-away/delivery trade and are already planning expansion into Dublin 4.
Base Wood Fired Pizza uses 00 grade Italian flour, fresh yeast, olive oil, water and salt in its dough, which is mixed each day and allowed to prove over two days, for a chewier, lighter base. The toppings include buffalo mozzarella imported from Italy. “We source high-quality ingredients from small Italian suppliers who we have developed relationships with and we do the importing ourselves. We freeze nothing, and products not sourced in Italy come from local suppliers,” Lacey explains.
The toppings range from the traditional to the slightly experimental. I can vouch for the deliciousness, if not the authenticity, of the Ruspante, with smoked chicken, dolcelatte, brie, red onions and fresh basil. If you choose the margherita, it’s worth upgrading to buffalo mozzarella. And you can have a drizzle of pesto for free.
The pizzas are big enough for two normal appetites – although I know several boys capable of wolfing down a whole one – and cost between €13.50 and €16. Not cheap exactly, but very, very good. Side and main course salads to take away are a welcome additional offering. Delivery costs €2 to Terenure, Harold’s Cross, Rathmines, Dartry, Milltown, Rathfarnham, Templeogue and Kimmage, or you can drop in for a look at the pizza-makers in action and pick up your own pie. Base is open every day, noon to 11pm. See www.basewfp.ie or call 01-4404800. mcdigby@irishtimes.com